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Into the arena for camel wrestling in Turkey

The fights are part of a centuries-old Turkish tradition; animal rights groups often call for them to end, denouncing them as cruel

Fri, Jan 25, 2019 - 5:50 AM

Above: Camels fighting during a contest at the Selcuk Camel wrestling festival in the town of Selcuk, near the western Turkish coastal city of Izmir, on Jan 20. Each animal struggles to bite its adversary's feet to topple them, their long necks interlocking as the crowd cheers.

PHOTO: AFP

Above: People attending the Selcuk Camel wrestling festival.

PHOTO: AFP

Above: A camel owner pulling his camel towards the wrestling contest. The Selcuk festival, one of the most important, is held every year on the third weekend of January.

PHOTO: AFP

Selcuk, Turkey

EROL Bilgin has high hopes. His camel, Kara Elmas (Black Diamond), might not have won the beauty contest the day before, but it might well fare better in the main event, the wrestling competition.

The two large camels stand face to face, sizing each other up, before throwing themselves head-first at one another.

Each animal struggles to bite its adversary's feet to topple them, their long necks interlocking as the crowd cheers.